Jul
30

Landslide hits Indian village; 150 may be trapped

KDWN

NEW DELHI (AP) — Torrential rains triggered a massive landslide that buried a remote village in western India Wednesday, sweeping away scores of houses and possibly trapping more than 150 people, officials said.

About 100 rescuers had reached the area, but continuing rains and bad roads were hampering rescue efforts and preventing reinforcements from reaching Ambegaon, a village in Pune district in Maharashtra state, said Alok Avasthy, a National Disaster Response Force commander.

The landslide hit the village early Wednesday morning, but details on the extent of the damage only began to trickle out several hours later, he said. Poor phone signals also were hampering the rescue operation. According to early reports, at least 40 homes were swept away.

“It’s surrounded by hills and the area is very remote and rural, so it’s taking us time to get there,” Avasthy said.

Avasthy said he was leading a team of 150 rescuers but they were having trouble communicating with the first batch of 100 responders in the area. They were assisting local police and medical teams who began clearing the debris.

“It is a small village and this happened very suddenly,” local legislator Dilip Walse Patil told CNN-IBN TV network.

Local commissioner Prabhakar Deshmukh said more than 150 people could be trapped. However, officials did not have further information on the basis of the figure because of the difficulties with communications and attempts to reach the area.

Landslides are common in the area during the monsoon season, which runs from June through September.

The Pune district about is 151 kilometers (94 miles) southeast of Mumbai, India’s commercial capital. The nearest medical center is about 15 kilometers (9 miles) from the village.

The area is at the foothill of the Sahyadri Mountains, which have been deforested extensively, increasing its vulnerability to landslides.

Similar deforestation and environmental damage have caused floods and landslides in other parts of India, too.

Last year more than 6,000 people were killed as floods and landslides swept through the hilly northern state of Uttarakhand during the monsoon season.

Jul
30

Landslide hits Indian village; 150 may be trapped

KDWN

NEW DELHI (AP) — Torrential rains triggered a massive landslide that buried a remote village in western India Wednesday, sweeping away scores of houses and possibly trapping more than 150 people, officials said.

About 100 rescuers had reached the area, but continuing rains and bad roads were hampering rescue efforts and preventing reinforcements from reaching Ambegaon, a village in Pune district in Maharashtra state, said Alok Avasthy, a National Disaster Response Force commander.

The landslide hit the village early Wednesday morning, but details on the extent of the damage only began to trickle out several hours later, he said. Poor phone signals also were hampering the rescue operation. According to early reports, at least 40 homes were swept away.

“It’s surrounded by hills and the area is very remote and rural, so it’s taking us time to get there,” Avasthy said.

Avasthy said he was leading a team of 150 rescuers but they were having trouble communicating with the first batch of 100 responders in the area. They were assisting local police and medical teams who began clearing the debris.

“It is a small village and this happened very suddenly,” local legislator Dilip Walse Patil told CNN-IBN TV network.

Local commissioner Prabhakar Deshmukh said more than 150 people could be trapped. However, officials did not have further information on the basis of the figure because of the difficulties with communications and attempts to reach the area.

Landslides are common in the area during the monsoon season, which runs from June through September.

The Pune district about is 151 kilometers (94 miles) southeast of Mumbai, India’s commercial capital. The nearest medical center is about 15 kilometers (9 miles) from the village.

The area is at the foothill of the Sahyadri Mountains, which have been deforested extensively, increasing its vulnerability to landslides.

Similar deforestation and environmental damage have caused floods and landslides in other parts of India, too.

Last year more than 6,000 people were killed as floods and landslides swept through the hilly northern state of Uttarakhand during the monsoon season.

Jul
30

Landslide hits Indian village, 150 may be trapped

KDWN

NEW DELHI (AP) — A landslide hit a remote village in western India following torrential rains Wednesday, sweeping away scores of houses and possibly trapping more than 150 people, officials said.

One hundred rescuers reached the area and more were on the way, however, their progress was being hampered by continuing rains and bad roads leading to Ambegaon, a village in Pune district in Maharashtra state where the landslide buried about 40 houses, said Alok Avasthy, a National Disaster Response Force commander.

The landslide hit the village early Wednesday morning but news and details on the extent of the damage only began to trickle out several hours later, he said.

“It’s surrounded by hills and the area is very remote and rural, so it’s taking us time to get there,” he said.

Poor phone signals also were hampering the rescue operation.

Avasthy said he was leading a team of 150 rescuers but they were having trouble communicating with the first batch of 100 responders already in the area. They were assisting local police and medical teams who began clearing the debris.

“It is a small village and this happened very suddenly,” local legislator Dilip Walse Patil told CNN-IBN TV network.

Landslides are common in the area during the monsoon season, which runs from June through September.

The Pune district about is 151 kilometers (94 miles) southeast of Mumbai, India’s commercial capital. The nearest medical center is about 15 kilometers (9 miles) from the village.

Jul
30

Landslide hits Indian village, 150 may be trapped

KDWN

NEW DELHI (AP) — A landslide hit a village in western India following torrential rains Wednesday, sweeping away scores of houses and raising fears that more than 150 people could be trapped, officials said.

Federal rescue workers were being hampered by continuing rains and poor roads leading to the village of Ambe in Pune district in Maharashtra state, where the landslide buried about 40 houses, said local commissioner Prabhakar Deshmukh.

“Reaching the exact space is taking time because there is a lot of damage to the road,” Sandeep Rai Rathore, a top official of the federal National Disaster Response Force, told NDTV news channel.

Police and medical teams arrived in the area but had difficulty communicating because of poor telephone and cellphone connectivity, local legislator Dilip Walse Patil told CNN-IBN TV network.

“It is a small village and this happened very suddenly,” he added.

Landslides are common in the area during the monsoon season, which runs from June through September.

The Pune district about is 151 kilometers (94 miles) southeast of Mumbai, India’s commercial capital. The nearest medical center is about 15 kilometers (9 miles) from the village.

Jul
30

Landslide hits Indian village, 150 may be trapped

KDWN

NEW DELHI (AP) — A landslide hit a village in western India following torrential rains Wednesday, sweeping away scores of houses and raising fears that more than 150 people could be trapped, officials said.

Federal rescue workers were being hampered by continuing rains and poor roads leading to the village of Ambe in Pune district in Maharashtra state, where the landslide buried about 40 houses, said local commissioner Prabhakar Deshmukh.

“Reaching the exact space is taking time because there is a lot of damage to the road,” Sandeep Rai Rathore, a top official of the federal National Disaster Response Force, told NDTV news channel.

Police and medical teams arrived in the area but had difficulty communicating because of poor telephone and cellphone connectivity, local legislator Dilip Walse Patil told CNN-IBN TV network.

“It is a small village and this happened very suddenly,” he added.

Landslides are common in the area during the monsoon season, which runs from June through September.

The Pune district about is 151 kilometers (94 miles) southeast of Mumbai, India’s commercial capital. The nearest medical center is about 15 kilometers (9 miles) from the village.